The Recovering Choir Director

These articles outline the roles of different musicians in the Mass.

102. The psalmist’s role is to sing the Psalm or other biblical canticle that comes between the readings. To fulfill this function correctly, it is necessary that the psalmist have the ability for singing and a facility in correct pronunciation and diction.

This is even more crucial now that the vernacular has been given a wide and generous application. To this I will add that the music must not get in the way of the words!

<vent>Case in point—David Haas’ Alleluia Psalm 118. It’s a lively composition, but it is not suited for all acoustic environments. I’ve listened to a recording of this piece, and it is intelligible in the studio. However, try it in a rich acoustic space where the walls eat up the consonants. For this piece you either must have a trained cantor who can spit out the consonants like a machine gun or slow down the piece to dirge tempo. It certainly doesn’t help that it’s written by a tenor for tenors, when most of the cantors I work with are alti. How pastorally insensitive.</vent>

103. Among the faithful, the schola cantorum or choir exercises its own liturgical function, ensuring that the parts proper to it, in keeping with the different types of chants, are properly carried out and fostering the active participation of the faithful through the singing.⁸⁷ What is said about the choir also applies, in accordance with the relevant norms, to other musicians, especially the organist.

What are the parts proper to the choir? To me, they seem to be: the propers of the Graduale Romanum; verses of psalms from the Graduale Simplex or other similar sources; verses of strophic hymns designated for the choir. Anything missing here?

104. It is fitting that there be a cantor or a choir director to lead and sustain the people’s singing. When in fact there is no choir, it is up to the cantor to lead the different chants, with the people taking part.⁸⁸